Salem-News.com is an Independent Online Newsgroup in the United States, setting the standard for the future of News.Publisher:Bonnie KingCONTACT:Newsroom@Salem-news.comAdvertising:Adsales@Salem-news.com~Truth~~Justice~~Peace~TJP

On 4 December 2012 six year old Vijanti Meghwar was brutally raped in Ghulam Nabi Shah village, district Taluka Pithoro Umerkot, in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Vijanti belongs to the Meghwar community of the country’s minority Hindu population. She was found unconscious and lying in the street. Such a heinous crime was made easier by the fact that the Meghwars are Hindu and therefore powerless and helpless against mass intolerance and bigotry.

Now the persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan is nothing new. Violence and atrocities against the minority population of Sindh has continued for many years but the Hindu minority are increasingly being treated worse than animals. Kidnapping of their girls and sexually assaulting their innocent children has crossed all bounds of humanity. Journalists attempting to report the story of Vijanti have also been threatened. Under these circumstances is it any surprise that the persecution of Hindus in Pakistan rarely gets reported?

I have worked for a few years now with other organisations representing Pakistani minorities such as Christians in order to highlight the oppressive atmosphere under which these communities have to subsist. Through protests, petitions and even meetings at the High Commission the collective of such groups has implored the government of Pakistan to look seriously at the situation. But instead of improving the matters have only got worse.

Pakistan receives substantial aid from British taxpayers, money which is being used to effectively ethnically cleanse the country of its indigenous minorities with total impunity. Only the day before Vijanti was raped, property developers razed a Hindu temple in the Doli Khata area of Karachi.

The tragic case of Vijanti is therefore not an isolated phenomenon. In February 2012 over 200 Hindus fled Pakistan after 19-year old Rinkle Kumari was abducted her village Mirpur Mathelo in Ghotki province of Pakistan, and subsequently forcibly converted and forcibly married. Her abductors had powerful political connections and after two months the country’s supreme court ruled against her parents. Kidnappings, rapes, forcible conversions and constant harassment are therefore a daily routine for Hindus who dare to remain in their homeland of Pakistan and suffer the humiliation of being third class citizens and subhumans in the eyes of the majority and legal system.

Yet the world averts its gaze at these atrocities. Contrast this with how much attention was given to Rimsha Masih, the disabled Christian girl who was accused under Pakistan’s draconian blasphemy laws. Or Malala Yousafzai, the Muslim girl shot by the Taliban when she attempted to promote education for females.

Please sign this petition to ensure that this little girl gets justice. This is certainly not one of those issues where anybody could stay neutral. Being neutral anyway means that we have taken the side of the aggressor.

Do Hindus simply not count when it comes to evaluating human rights abuses? Where are the international denunciations? Where are the protests? Is there silence with regards to Vijanti Meghwar and Rinkle Kumari simply because they are Hindus? Uncomfortable questions indeed but they need to be asked in the face of global apathy.
For more info & updates please visit www.hinduhumanrights.info

Update #3

Posted by Amitabh Soni (Cause Leader) on December 14

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO VIJANTI ? HER UNCLE SPEAKS CAUTION - Some people may find certain sections disturbing

Sent to Hindu Human Rights (HHR) UK by Phulloo Meghwar, the Uncle of Vijanti unfolding the series of events that lead to her tragic ordeal.

"Vijanti,6 year old daughter of poor labourer Munwar Meghwar Meghwar, residing in Ghulam Nabi Shah a small town of district Umerkot , Sindh Pakistan.

On the unfortunate evening of 4th December 2012, she was playing in the street in...

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO VIJANTI ? HER UNCLE SPEAKS CAUTION - Some people may find certain sections disturbing

Sent to Hindu Human Rights (HHR) UK by Phulloo Meghwar, the Uncle of Vijanti unfolding the series of events that lead to her tragic ordeal.

"Vijanti,6 year old daughter of poor labourer Munwar Meghwar Meghwar, residing in Ghulam Nabi Shah a small town of district Umerkot , Sindh Pakistan.

On the unfortunate evening of 4th December 2012, she was playing in the street in front of her house. In the meantime a merciless person took her to desolated room and destroyed her childhood by sexually assaulting this innocent girl. He left her in the pool of blood and escaped from the scene.

Later local people found her there and took Vijanti to her home, where her mother and other family members rushed her to district head quarter hospital Umerkot. As a routine, no any doctor was present on the duty. One lady doctor Leela Pardeep was called, as there is not a single gynecologist deployed throughout the district. After hectic efforts by the affected family, this lady doctor examined her and collected her samples. She referred her to civil hospital Mirpurkhas, as according to her she had viginal tear and bleeding.

She was admitted at civil hospital Mirpurkhas with number of complications and is under treatment there till 11 December. But her parent was not satisfied with her treatment, after a lot of cry; she had been referred to liyari hospital, Karachi. MS and gynecologist of civil hospital examined her and that she did not get any treatment even not primary and first aid.

They did her operation and they swaying now she is getting proper treatment, as doctors of Mirpurkhas civil hospital were saying, As parent are not educated, that's why they could not understand their way of treatment and the language or attitude of the doctors. However She is under treatment there,yet she is psychological depressed,she cannot recognize any person and is crying all the time.

This incident shocked every person whose conscience was alive, therefore number of communities, organizations took out rallies for the justice for the victim 6 year old girl. This put pressure on the area police. On the third day of incident Pithoro police registered a case on the complaint of Bhano Meghwar, the uncle of the victim girl against unknown persons.

It is pertinent to mention here that the desolated room where she was sexually assaulted was owned by Muhamamd Hashim Mangrio, who is brother-in-law of former taluka nazim Pithoro, Haji Umer Mangrio.

Haji Umer Mangrio also hired sniffer dogs, which traced the foot-prints of a person who committed this sexual crime. Surprisingly these dogs pointed out the stay of culprit in the same guest-house owned by Muhammad Hashim Mangrio.

Pressure of protests have kept rising on, the entire civil society of the province felt this sexual crime issue as its own so they started raising voice for her justice. This pressure compelled the area police to arrest one person namely Rano Mallah. Whose mother kept crying that her son is innocent and police want to save the influential culprit. Police traditionally (as usual) is not investigating the matter in a right way. As identification parade carried by it (them) was not valid method in the eyes of law. According to the family, police brought Rano Mallah in the civil hospital Mirpurkhas, all the family of girl was ordered to go out, some police officials stood along Rano and they interrogated the victim who is just six years old and under harassment and trauma of incident, was told by the police "Is this same person who took you and assaulted you ?"

What she replied is known by police but they informed the family that she identified Rano Mallah as the culprit of sexual assault. But her family and other local people are not satisfied with the Police's version of the story of what happened to the girl, whose entire childhood and life has been destroyed, but now further with no hope of justice for her." By Phulloo Meghwar

Update #2

Posted by Amitabh Soni (Cause Leader) on December 13

We are glad to announce that Pakistan's leading Journalist & Human Right's activist MARVI SIRMED is also supporting this campaign now. http://marvisirmed.com

We are waiting yet for the mainstream media to give Vijanti a few seconds/ column cm of space.

"Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander." HOLOCAUST MUSEUM, WASHINGTON DC

Update #1

Posted by Amitabh Soni (Cause Leader) on December 12

Can't thank you enough for all your support ! You are doing what most of the people aren't for this little girl. We have tweeted to the following to cover her story & shall update you if we hear from them or when they cover her story:

All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied.

Anonymous December 15, 2012 2:44 am (Pacific time)

I did not read one time "Islam", "Muslim", ah the religion of peace. I'm sure the Christians, the Buddhists, the Hindus did not commit this crime or all the other crimes. So, what does it take these days and write the truth about the Muslims? I can tell you won't have the balls to call it what it is

Editor: Another nameless wonder suggesting we lack what it takes? Good God, do you never see our stories about Christian persecution in Pakistan? I write bluntly about all religions, you however are a simple minded bigot who wants to blame a faith, what kind of wanker crap is that? We are critical of all people equally, trust me.